Every year since 2005, the Georgia Trust has published a list of endangered properties throughout the state that are worthy of preservation. This week, the 2017 list was released, including four sites around metro Atlanta. Gulp.
The list spans many types of buildings and vintages, ranging from the iconic Central Library of 1980 to the incredibly historic Gaines Hall, which has stood at Atlanta University Center since just after the Civil War.
While the list may evoke melancholy for preservationists, plans are already in place to stabilize two of the buildings, and with the help of the Georgia Trust, hopefully all 10 on the list can be saved, like many others from previous years.
Constructed in 1980 as an internationally significant example of brutalist architecture, Atlanta Central Library was the last building designed by renowned architect Marcel Breuer. Preservationists mounted a very public campaign in the last year in reaction to concerns of potential demolition.
The current Calvary Episcopal Church was completed in 1921 under the leadership of Reverend James Bolan Lawrence and renowned architect Ralph Adams Cram, who was known for his Gothic Revival style ecclesiastical buildings. Today the church and surrounding neighborhood are threatened by the construction of a new elevated railroad bridge.
Charles T. Walker was born a slave in 1858 and went on to become one of Augusta's most notable ministers, serving the African-American community throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He founded Tabernacle Baptist Church in Augusta but was known worldwide. The house, constructed in 1895, served as his family's residence until 1928. Today it is threatened by vacancy, neglect, and surrounding development pressure.
The Chivers House was constructed in 1920 on Dublin's prominent Bellevue Avenue for a well respected and beloved philanthropic family in Laurens County. During the Depression, the Chivers opened their home to struggling teachers in the area. Used for many years as the headquarters of the Dublin Red Cross, it is now owned by a nearby church and is vacant and deteriorating.
The 1903 YMCA building was the first permanent headquarters of the YMCA of Metropolitan Columbus, a city with the third oldest Y in the country with membership dating to 1856. The grand marble building was modeled after the founding YMCA organization's building in London and is the only marble Y in the United States. Abandoned since 2010, the future for the building is uncertain.
Gaines Hall, Furber Cottage, Towns House and the Hamilton House are four significant structures located within the Atlanta University Center Historic District; they stand vacant and deteriorating. Gaines Hall, built in 1869, was the first permanent building on the Atlanta University campus, while Furber Cottage, built 30 years later, served as a dormitory. The 1910 Towns House was home to George A. Towns, a professor at Atlanta University and close friend to W.E.B. DuBois. Towns' daughter, Grace Towns Hamilton, became the first African-American woman elected to a state legislature in the Deep South. She and her husband built the ranch-style Hamilton House in 1950. Since the closure of Morris Brown, the future of the buildings is unclear. And since a fire ripped through Gaines Hall in 2015, its is in immediate peril.
This log house on the edge of Twin City was constructed in the northern reaches of Georgia's pine barren region in approximately 1832 by John Rountree, on land his family was awarded in the 1805 Georgia Land Lottery. The Rountree cabin represents that early era of exploration and settlement in Georgia and is a rare example of early 19th century log saddlebag construction. Owned by the city, the home is need of rehabilitation.
One of the oldest houses in DeKalb County, the Lyon Farmhouse was built by Joseph Emmanuel Lyon, a former British soldier who was awarded 100 acres for taking the Oath of Allegiance after being captured and serving with the patriots during the American Revolution. Lyon originally built a log cabin on the property in the 1820s, which was expanded twice throughout the century. The home now stands abandoned within the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area.
Designed for Roswell founding father John Dunwoody, this Greek Revival-style home was built in 1840, burned the night of the housewarming, and was rebuilt in 1847. Named for its many mimosa trees by a later owner, General A. J. Hansell, the home was purchased in 1916 by noted architect Neel Reid, who renovated the house and its iconic gardens. In 1947, the great-grandson of the home's former owner purchased Mimosa Hall, and it has remained in the Hansell family ever since. With 21 acres of prime real estate, the estate is in jeopardy of redevelopment.
In 1925, the citizens of Zebulon passed a bond for $30,000 to build a new elementary school and to remodel an existing high school. Zebulon Elementary opened on September 13, 1926 and ran continuously until the mid-1970s when it was converted into storage for the school district. While owned by the Downtown Development Authority, the building is increasingly at risk of demolition by neglect due to vandalism and 25 years of vacancy.
Constructed in 1980 as an internationally significant example of brutalist architecture, Atlanta Central Library was the last building designed by renowned architect Marcel Breuer. Preservationists mounted a very public campaign in the last year in reaction to concerns of potential demolition.
The current Calvary Episcopal Church was completed in 1921 under the leadership of Reverend James Bolan Lawrence and renowned architect Ralph Adams Cram, who was known for his Gothic Revival style ecclesiastical buildings. Today the church and surrounding neighborhood are threatened by the construction of a new elevated railroad bridge.
Charles T. Walker was born a slave in 1858 and went on to become one of Augusta's most notable ministers, serving the African-American community throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He founded Tabernacle Baptist Church in Augusta but was known worldwide. The house, constructed in 1895, served as his family's residence until 1928. Today it is threatened by vacancy, neglect, and surrounding development pressure.
The Chivers House was constructed in 1920 on Dublin's prominent Bellevue Avenue for a well respected and beloved philanthropic family in Laurens County. During the Depression, the Chivers opened their home to struggling teachers in the area. Used for many years as the headquarters of the Dublin Red Cross, it is now owned by a nearby church and is vacant and deteriorating.
The 1903 YMCA building was the first permanent headquarters of the YMCA of Metropolitan Columbus, a city with the third oldest Y in the country with membership dating to 1856. The grand marble building was modeled after the founding YMCA organization's building in London and is the only marble Y in the United States. Abandoned since 2010, the future for the building is uncertain.
Gaines Hall, Furber Cottage, Towns House and the Hamilton House are four significant structures located within the Atlanta University Center Historic District; they stand vacant and deteriorating. Gaines Hall, built in 1869, was the first permanent building on the Atlanta University campus, while Furber Cottage, built 30 years later, served as a dormitory. The 1910 Towns House was home to George A. Towns, a professor at Atlanta University and close friend to W.E.B. DuBois. Towns' daughter, Grace Towns Hamilton, became the first African-American woman elected to a state legislature in the Deep South. She and her husband built the ranch-style Hamilton House in 1950. Since the closure of Morris Brown, the future of the buildings is unclear. And since a fire ripped through Gaines Hall in 2015, its is in immediate peril.
This log house on the edge of Twin City was constructed in the northern reaches of Georgia's pine barren region in approximately 1832 by John Rountree, on land his family was awarded in the 1805 Georgia Land Lottery. The Rountree cabin represents that early era of exploration and settlement in Georgia and is a rare example of early 19th century log saddlebag construction. Owned by the city, the home is need of rehabilitation.
One of the oldest houses in DeKalb County, the Lyon Farmhouse was built by Joseph Emmanuel Lyon, a former British soldier who was awarded 100 acres for taking the Oath of Allegiance after being captured and serving with the patriots during the American Revolution. Lyon originally built a log cabin on the property in the 1820s, which was expanded twice throughout the century. The home now stands abandoned within the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area.
Designed for Roswell founding father John Dunwoody, this Greek Revival-style home was built in 1840, burned the night of the housewarming, and was rebuilt in 1847. Named for its many mimosa trees by a later owner, General A. J. Hansell, the home was purchased in 1916 by noted architect Neel Reid, who renovated the house and its iconic gardens. In 1947, the great-grandson of the home's former owner purchased Mimosa Hall, and it has remained in the Hansell family ever since. With 21 acres of prime real estate, the estate is in jeopardy of redevelopment.
In 1925, the citizens of Zebulon passed a bond for $30,000 to build a new elementary school and to remodel an existing high school. Zebulon Elementary opened on September 13, 1926 and ran continuously until the mid-1970s when it was converted into storage for the school district. While owned by the Downtown Development Authority, the building is increasingly at risk of demolition by neglect due to vandalism and 25 years of vacancy.
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